Voyager Shadows: Jaiden's tale
by G-Of The Rivers
Summary: New Voyagers! series: It's 15 years later and Jeffrey and Bogg are now part of the clandestine Shadow Sector at Headquarters. Jeffrey watches over Jaiden Hoyt, a foster-care child from Brooklyn. Jeffrey intervenes when circumstances turn deadly. He must soon come to terms with his strong desire to keep Jaiden at his side just as Bogg kept him.
1. The hood

**Voyager Shadows: Jaiden's Tale**

_"You got to always think of the interesting people in front of you, who really need your help…"_–Phineas Bogg

**Chapter 1: The 'hood**

**Brooklyn, New York**

In the last two years, ten-year-old Jaiden Hoyt bounced around foster homes more than a basketball on the court. Why couldn't they see the child's potential and yearning for a family? Was there any caretaker left who wasn't in it for the money? Jaiden was an amiable boy once drawn out of his shell. He approached life cautious and street smart with a quick wit. Despite this area being part of the notorious 'hood' Jaiden displayed a sense of justice and knew right from wrong. For the man shadowing him, it felt like peering through a warped mirror of his own childhood.

How could the man describe Jaiden physically? Beautiful. Mocha colored skin and a full head of light brown afro-curls. He had a narrow face, longish nose, and full lips. His sloped amber eyes either crinkled joyfully or cried out for help. Watching Jaiden through all his trials and disappointments from infancy sometimes drove the man to tears. Yet Jaiden's cheeky smile was a beacon of hope.

**Voyager Jeffrey Jones–Shadow Report– Friday, November 13th, 2011. 7:00am: **

"Jaiden just left for school. He's still unsure of himself and a loner…it's only been two months this time. This is the third school he's attended in two years. He's way smarter than most of the other kids, but too shy to reveal it. He has an interest in English and literature, and is a boy after my own heart – he loves history! I checked his academic records and he rocks the subjects with 90 plus grades. To display smarts these days labels you a nerd, geek, butt-kisser (to put it mildly) and in Jaiden's case, he's accused of acting 'white.' It's insanity."

Jaiden passed his bus stop and quickly pocketed the incredibly high two dollars and twenty-five cents bus fare. He decided to hoof it to school again. That brought his current savings up to ten dollars in the last four days. The kid displayed ingenuity. The trip was almost a mile, but Jeffrey liked that. It gave him a chance to keep a sharp eye out.

Jeffrey elicited a few stares. He didn't exactly blend in with the predominately black neighborhood. His scruffy beard shadow and near shoulder-length dark curls added to his unique appearance. He dressed low-key for the time zone –dark jeans, worn-in Nike sneakers, and a v-neck navy sweater, black parka and grey hoodie for added warmth.

After years of traveling with Phineas Bogg, Jeffrey dressed more practical than his partner ever did. Bogg eventually tamed the pirate look, but he was still a relic and his fashion sense hearkened back to the seventeenth century.

"_It doesn't matter. That man can wear a potato sack and still look good." _Jeffrey thought. _"The dude's the male Marilyn Monroe."_

Jaiden made a pit stop at the local deli-grocery, or 'Bodega' store. He bought his favorite ham, egg, and cheese sandwich on a roll for two-fifty and a bottle of _Yoohoo_ chocolate milk. When Jeffrey felt hungry on these morning observations he did the same. He missed little pleasures from his own New York youth like the sugary drinks and fatty, delicious meals on the cheap. Jaiden wolfed down his breakfast as and the drink disappeared within four street blocks.

"Jaiden has good manners, he tries not to litter and holds his trash until he hits the nearest garbage can. Impressive."

Jeffrey spoke discreetly into a tiny recording device tacked on the inside of his collar. But he realized in 2011, many people talked through headsets and mouth mikes while they strolled the city. It saddened him that all the old public pay phones disappeared or sat broken and filthy on the street corners.

"Every family he lives with has their own set of house rules and Jaiden takes a little something with him wherever he goes. But it's not surprising."

"To recap: Jaiden's great-grandmother Ella took him from three years old until she died. She was a respectable, church-going lady and was raised with old-fashioned decorum. I'm glad he had positive reinforcements in his life."

Every fact appeared in Jeffrey's past Shadow reports – Jaiden's teen mother gave him up for adoption when she couldn't get her life together. He had no father to speak of and his grandmother was a mess. Ella was the last family tie willing to raise him and he stayed with her until he was eight-years-old. Ella died of a heart attack in her sleep. Jeffrey disguised himself as the first EMT on the scene, but he couldn't save her. Jaiden's call came through the morning after. Jeffrey offered him comfort, but he couldn't get too close without being discovered.

The Foster Care fiasco soon followed and Jaiden's mother never questioned his whereabouts. Jeffrey delved into the family records, other relatives from different states lived in much better conditions than Jaiden's immediate family. None of them stepped up to take the child in. Jeffrey thought of his aunt Elizabeth. When her brother Bill died it uprooted her comfortable life. If Bogg had never appeared, Elizabeth and Tom's mild threats of an orphanage or boarding school would have become a reality for Jeffrey.

"_No, worse." _He thought grimly. _"I saw my own Shadow report when I joined the task force. My life spiraled into a train wreck on the mean streets of New York because I decided to run away. I'd be penniless or dead by now."_

**~Oo~**

_Voyager Shadows._ Who are they? What are they? Jeffrey considered the position to be the most vital occupation in Voyager Headquarters next to field workers. He and Bogg signed up for the job two years prior and fell in love with it. A Voyager chosen for the work must observe and report on the life course of Voyager candidates. A Shadow needed to keep a delicate balance and the candidates normally remain unaware of their existence. It was up to the Voyager how they accomplished their tasks. Headquarters often left Voyagers to follow their own initiative in every sector.

The biggest Shadow rule _suggested _that Voyagers refrain from getting personally involved unless the candidate fell in dire straights. Most Shadows bent it every which way on their missions and made constant judgment calls.

Jeffrey stepped in more than once for Jaiden during his toddler years. Jaiden's mother often soared 'higher than a kite' on drugs and sleft three-year old Jaiden wandering around Coney Island beach. Jeffrey found the boy in a dirty diaper ready to pick up a washed up jellyfish. If it had been up to him, he would have whisked Jaiden off then and there.

They formed a small bond that day. Jeffrey cleaned him, clothed and fed him, and even took him on a few kiddie rides in the Amusement Park before safely returning him to Ella's house. He pretended to be a social worker to makes sure Ella knew the details. Jeffrey's overt friendliness won her over and she invited him to stay for a home cooked Southern meal. That night Jeffrey updated his reports on Jaiden's family, and figured out how to maneuver situations so Ella adopted him. The Council was not thrilled by Jeffrey's interference, but Bogg supported him every step of the way.

**~Oo~**

On the Avenue Jaiden stopped, scratched his head, and peered around. Jeffrey felt bad when Jaiden nervously plucked his book bag straps and broke into short runs. He sensed someone watching him. Jeffrey quickly picked up the Daily Newspaper and leaned on a street lamppost, engrossed in the vile news stories of the day. After fifteen years of traveling in and out of the past, the future sometimes loomed dark and ugly. He scanned over a brutal article involving a little boy kidnapped while coming home from school in a very safe neighborhood. Jeffrey shoved the paper under his arm disgusted and more determined than ever to keep watch on his present candidate.

Jaiden picked up the pace as the time neared seven-thirty. His day started by eight-fifteen but he had to be on school grounds before then to meet his class and teacher.

"**Character Observation:** Jaiden is the most punctual boy I've ever seen. He doesn't even hit the snooze alarm. My guess is that it stems from a dire need not to be left behind. If he's on time, he'll be noticed first."

The schoolyard filled up with older kids. Some of the boys tried to emulate the popular rap music stars of the day. Jeffrey didn't understand why the city decided to change the system and merge Junior High with the elementary school kids into one building. That begged for trouble. The poor little kindergartners and first-graders had to run around to avoid getting stepped on by their towering peers. Jeffrey saw a lot of ugliness going down in the neighborhood.

Jaiden halted just short of the schoolyard when some kids called him. Jeffrey's stomach knotted. He didn't trust the gang of wannabee thugs. He pitied them all. Jeffrey crossed to the opposite side of the street for a better view. He counted four boys, nearly indistinguishable from their baggy shirts, hats, and chains. He had to laugh. At their age he wouldn't be caught dead wearing his jeans hanging down to his crotch to expose his briefs.

"Ah, different times…sometimes like a different world."

Jeffrey asked for a quick info check on the gang. The leader was a fifteen year-old Haitian boy sent here to live permanently after a devastating earthquake. The others were born and raised in the neighborhood.

**~Oo~**

Jaiden met with them hesitantly. They were all older than him but at times they shared jokes, ate lunch together and Jaiden even helped them get high grades on a few projects.

They huddled in a deserted alley behind a dry cleaner.

"Yo Jay, where you be at?" The leader asked. "Don't see you no more after school. You hidin' from us?"

"Been busy, lots of homework, and Miss Williams wants me to take care of her pets while she's at work."

"_Yeaaahight, _whatever, you got it?"

Jaiden sighed and dug into his pockets. He pulled out fifty dollars and handed it over. The leader scrunched it and the others laughed.

"What's this?"

"The money you said to get."

"Ain't she got no more? She a landlady, she gots lots of money! And tons of bling!"

The other gang members nodded. Miss Williams owned two buildings and foster care was her latest venture which earned her more income.

"No. I didn't find no more money." Jaiden lied. "She don't trust foster kids after the last one…you remember Kevin, right, Antoine?"

"Yo, _you_ better remember Kevin!" Antoine threatened and smirked. "He screwed up!"

Jeffrey groaned inwardly as the situation intensified. He still felt proud of the kid. Rather than boldly steal from Miss Williams' purse, Jaiden saved his bus fare and chore money to give to these bullies. He remembered some days when Jaiden skipped lunch and breakfast. But Jeffrey always managed to 'drop' a few dollars in his path so he could eat.

The leader shoved it in his pocket. "This ain't good enough! I know she gots lots of money in a safe – thousands of dollars. She don't believe in banks. Kevin said so. I tol' you where its at!"

"I think she moved it. I don't know the combination. She probably changed it." Jaiden said.

Antoine laughed, then grabbed Jaiden's collar and shoved him against the wall. Jeffrey moved in closer.

"Yo, Antoine, I'll try harder, I promise. She likes me, she'll tell me where it is." Jaiden pleaded.

Antoine dug under his bubble coat and pulled out a small handgun. He stroked it on Jaiden's cheek. Jeffrey's heart raced. He opened the omni and the light turned red. Jeffrey sprinted across the street and pretended to go to the grocery store.

"See this? You take it and you pop her if she give you trouble!"

"_No!_ I'm not gonna shoot Miss Williams! She's a nice lady." Jaiden's eyes widened defiantly. "I ain't shootin' anybody!"

Antoine roughed him up and slapped his face side to side while the gang moved in to intimidate him. He forced Jaiden's hand open and slipped the gun in.

"I said you use it! You know how, I showed you last time."

"I…I don't remember." Tears stung Jaiden's eyes.

"You lyin'! We shot them cans! You ain't gonna live long 'round here if you don't learn to shoot, ya little dumb white boy nigga…"

Antoine berated him using vile obscenities. Jeffrey heard it all in his lifetime but it disgusted him the way city kids in this generation talked to one another, even in regular, friendly conversation. A quick memory of Billy the Kid hit him. The outlaw held the gun out and told him the same lies…

**~Oo~**

**Flashback: 1880**

Bogg fought exhaustion as long as he could, he did not want to leave Jeffrey alone one minute with the outlaws. Jeffrey rebelled and sat with the gang around the campfire anyway. They drank, rolled up cigarettes and talked of nothing but _killin', whorin', drinkin',_ and _thievin.' _They poked fun at him and his goody-goody partner. Jeffrey couldn't handle the talk for too long. He had nothing to add to the vulgarities. He also hated when people talked trash about Bogg. He feigned sleepiness and rushed to Bogg's side.

Jeffrey rolled over to wipe his teary eyes and Bogg put his arm over him.

"I'm glad you're here, Jeff. You don't need to listen to that garbage. Trust me, I know what's like. Hang around long enough and sooner or later you'll think and act the same way."

"Did you, when you were a pirate?"

Bogg sighed and faced him. "Sure. I was young, naïve, and susceptible to everything around me. It was all fun, all a jest. I know better now. I didn't have anyone to steer me right either."

Jeffrey gazed at millions of stars. The moon hung so low he wanted to touch it. "Bogg, when I grow up, will I still have to find out what's really important? Those guys sure know a lot about it."

Bogg stifled laughter. "They wouldn't know if it bit them like a rattler. But I think you do. What's really important is _love_, Jeffrey. _Love, justice, wisdom_… and the power to use it as a force for good in all the lives we come in contact with."

Bogg's words filled him with awe, not once did he mention Rita or other women he fell for. That must have been a joke. Jeffrey resolved in his heart to never forget those words and be the best Voyager he could so Bogg would always take pride in him.

The Voyagers learned a multitude of lessons on that demanding mission.

"_I put poor Bogg through the wringer. All those important attributes were a little faulty from time to time."_

**~Oo~**

Jeffrey drew his attention back to Jaiden. Antoine shoved Jaiden on the ground and he dropped the gun.

"Pick it up, nig!"

Jaiden stared boldly. "No, man! I'm not doing this, not for you, or anybody! You don't own me! You can't tell me what to do!" He shouted. "I ain't gonna jack Miss Williams' safe!"

Jeffrey couldn't stand by any longer. Antoine's temper flared and he crouched for the gun while his friends tackled Jaiden.

"Get off me, man! Help!"

Jeffrey raced between them.

"_Yo! _What do you kids think you're doing? Get lost! Leave him alone!"

Jeffrey grabbed Antoine from behind. Despite his slender frame, the teen possessed wiry strength. He elbowed Jeffrey hard in the stomach and Jeffrey doubled over.

"Jaiden! Get help! Hide!"

Antoine threw another punch and Jeffrey ducked. He held back the fierce right hook he honed over the years. Antoine was still a kid. Jeffrey shoved him into garbage cans and he toppled over and crawled fast for the gun.

"_Stop! Get outta here_!" Jaiden yelled. A hand clamped on his mouth while another kid threatened him with a switchblade.

Antoine poised to shoot. Jeffrey lunged and grappled for his arm before he could fire at Jaiden. They struggled and Jeffrey slammed Antoine face first against the brick wall. Antoine shook off dizziness. He backed into him and swung around. His gun fired, and the bullet clipped Jeffrey's shoulder. Jeffrey staggered against a giant green dumpster. Blood oozed between his fingers and the wound burned. Jaiden broke free and ran to him.

"Man, what you doin' here? Now you're hurt, cause you all up in our business!"

"I won't let them hurt you. Go, Jaiden! Run and hide! I'll find you." Jeffrey demanded.

Jaiden kept rooted to the spot and stared at the man. He didn't know why he sensed a familiarity. "He'll kill you, man! He shot my foster brother Kevin! I know he did!"

"You stinkin' punk!" Antoine aimed the gun. "I'm gonna shoot you next!"

"Yo, Ant! The heat's comin!"

Police sirens wailed and distracted Antoine. His friends wanted to make a run for it. Jeffrey pulled Jaiden close and pushed the omni. Antoine looked back and his gun and clattered into a puddle. The gang stared up frightened. Jeffrey and Jaiden vanished.


	2. Ghetto speak

**Voyager Shadows: Jaiden's Tale**

**Chapter 2: Ghetto speak**

Jeffrey landed hard on his injured side and gasped. Why did he keep Bogg's_ model 313_ omni? Even with the open-time calibration upgrade and Shadowing capabilities installed, it was still considered the dinosaur of them all. The advanced omnis had an instant materialization feature and other time-saving embellishments to aide Field Workers. Bogg wanted to trade in the 313 or shine it up and mount it. But Jeffrey stuck to nostalgia and absolutely refused.

"_I'm too damn old-school for my own good. Always clinging to the past."_ He thought. _"Maybe I'll tell Bogg it's conking out and I need a new one so he won't say, 'I told you so…kid!"_

The pain sliced through him worse than before and he struggled to sit up. Jaiden stared wild-eyed at the surrounding forest and rocked back and forth with his knees against his chest.

"_Oh man, I hope he's not in shock!" _Jeffrey thought. He crawled over to him.

"Jaiden…Jaiden, are you alright? Just look at me and nod your head yes or no. Are you hurt at all?"

Jaiden glanced up and shook his head no. When he saw the gunshot wound, it was as if a spark went off and his fears melted. He immediately pulled an extra gym tee-shirt out of his book bag and tore it to make a bandage.

"You gotta take off this coat. Dang, why it's hot all of a sudden?"

Jeffrey was taken aback and followed instructions. "_Uhh…_okay, coats off_. _Thanks."

"We gotta clean that thing, but for now I gotta staunch the bleeding."

Jeffrey rummaged through his coat pocket. "_Wait!_ Before you bandage, use a little of this. It'll help." He pulled out a small flask with alcohol.

Jaiden smelled it. "_Whew!_ That's hot juice. Homeboy got the goods! Alright. I guess that'll work." Jaiden aided him as carefully as he could and Jeffrey helped him make a tight knot with his teeth. He took a few swigs to numb his senses.

"_Ahh, _that feels much better. Where'd you learn this?"

"TV and stuff, I like the hospital shows and our health class. I wanna work in an ambulance." Jaiden smiled. "Maybe be a doctor or something too."

"That's fantastic. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work. You got the stuffing for it, kiddo."

Jaiden sat back on his knees and fiddled with his books. He tried to avoid shaking, but his fear rose again.

"Just relax. Nobody is gonna hurt you. I bet you wanna know how this happened, right?" Jeffrey asked.

"Hells yeah." He mumbled. "What is that thing? You pushed it and then we went flying like crazy. I know this ain't Brooklyn."

"_Isn't _Brooklyn, Jaiden." Jeffrey held out the omni carefully. He recollected what happened the first time he pressed it on Bogg. He was not going to let Jaiden touch it…not yet. The boy didn't seem as curious anyway. The omni scared him.

"Do you wanna guess what this is?"

"_Uhh_, a watch? No, man, _umm_…" Jaiden took in the environment again. No planes, no cars, no buildings or sidewalks. The air smelled sweet and woodsy and he saw the difference in the clear, unpolluted sky. He stared at Jeffrey incredulously.

"Is that a time machine? For real?"

"_Ding, ding, ding! _You win the prize, kid! Yes, it's a time machine. It's called an omni. Want to see how it works?"

He flipped it open and Jaiden leaped back and hugged a tree.

"_No! _Don't press it! Not again!"

Jeffrey stood up. His entire arm ached but he shrugged it off. He worried that the cosmic trip would disturb Jaiden, but if the kid were anything like him, he'd get over the fright soon.

"I promise you, Jay, I won't press it now. Hear that noise? That beeping means we have a red light."

"What? Why? Is it broke?"

"No. It means that something is wrong in this part of history and it's our job to find out what it is and correct it. When we do, the light turns green."

Jaiden burst into edgy laughter. "That's whack man! History can't go wrong. And this is not _our_ job…it's _yours_. I'm not no time traveler!"

Jeffrey nodded. "I know that. But I am, and we're officially called _Voyagers_. _Uhh…_" Jeffrey leaned on the tree and snapped a twig off dramatically. "We're the people that are plucked out of time and trained to travel through the ages…to help history along and give it a shove where it's needed."

He could never say it as glibly as Bogg did.

Jaiden kept his distance. "So I have to believe all that 'cause you say so? That's corny and you crazy! I don't know you! How do you know my name? You been watching me, spying on me!_ I knew it! _What if this is some crack you gave me? What if you're some perv that wants to get with me and…"

"Jaiden, it's not like that at all…" Jeffrey cut him off and motioned forward. "Let's just talk about this, okay?"

Jaiden picked up the biggest branch he could find and swung out missing Jeffrey's face by mere inches. The weight of it staggered him.

"Put that down before you get hurt!" Jeffrey warned. "Or hurt me!"

"You stay back, man! Don't touch me! Nobody is ever gonna touch me! I'll kill you first!"

His little body heaved angrily and Jeffrey's thoughts wandered to the more recent contents in Jaiden's Shadow documents. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't shadow the child twenty-four hours a day and situations automatically appeared on record that required a full investigation.

**~Oo~**

Jeffrey made an emergency anonymous phone call and had Jaiden pulled out of a sleazy foster house before it was too late. But his fury got the best of him. Disguised as a cellmate, he beat the perpetrator senseless. He needed some heavy shots of scotch before he faced Bogg that night.

"_Bogg, I know what you're gonna say, but I don't care! I just…don't. You're not me, I'm not you. I gave him some New York justice. It's not pirate justice. My fists are licensed weapons on every continent!" _Jeffrey slurred and teetered around the complex.

"_I did what I had to do to that monster, Bogg. He deserves more than that…maybe he'll get it in prison." _

Bogg simply cleaned Jeffrey's scrapes poker faced. _"I wish I would have known what you were up to, Jeff. You're talking to the guy who knocked out Joe Louis. I coulda used the practice. Go sleep it off…again." _

**~Oo~**

Jeffrey raised his hands. "Jaiden, I would never on my life do that to you or any kid! I'm not a pervert, I don't do drugs, and I didn't give you any drugs. Don't insult me like that."

Jaiden's gaze softened. "Sorry. But I still can't trust you."

"You remember what happened, all I did was push the button on top of my omni. I know you aren't ready for this yet. But I had to save you. The light turned red in Brooklyn because Antoine would have killed you. That's not supposed to happen."

"We all gonna die someday." Jaiden said quietly. "Babies, kids, old folk. Who cares? Nobody cares if I die. Not my mama, or…" Jaiden's lip trembled, but then he firmly shook his head. "Forget it, it don't matter."

"Jaiden, I care! And you're not gonna die today. All your life I made sure you were safe. You're special. You have a special purpose."

"You make me sound like a retard."

"I don't mean it that way and don't use that name for the mentally disabled. I meant that you have a mission to fulfill."

Jaiden wasn't prepared for these revelations yet. He changed the subject. "What…what was that noise and all the colors? It was so fast, I thought my body was gonna rip open…but you held onto me. I guess it wasn't that scary 'cause you was with me."

"It's a cool ride once you get used it. Like a roller coaster. I'm using an old omni too. We traveled through space and the cosmos. A time warp. And now we're here. Wherever _here_ is."

"Don't you know? You're the big time traveler!" Jaiden finally lowered the branch. His curiosity won over his fears.

"I'm checking it now."

Jeffrey made great assumptions that Jaiden would take the news better than he did when he became a Voyager. Kids from the twenty-first century ensnared themselves in technology, advanced CGI effects, video games, and all sorts of fantasies and role-play. But when it came down to it, most of them knew it wasn't reality.

"According to my omni we're still in New York. It's August 24th, 1853. Fine time to have a sweater on." Jeffrey muttered. He decided to stay in his undershirt, but everything had blood stains.

"_What? _Lemme see that!" Jaiden drew closer and stared at the globe. He recognized the landmass from his Social Studies lessons. "That is New York. What's up with all them wheels and numbers around it?"

"They're called dials, and that's how I adjust the month, date, and year. Look closer, you'll see it's exactly what I told you."

"You ain't kidding?"

"_Aren't _kidding. I thought you got the best grades in English?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, what's with all the ghetto speak?" He teased.

Jaiden rolled his eyes. "That's the way us black folk talk. What do you know? You from some rich white neighborhood where everyone is all proper and…"

Jaiden suddenly ranted about how Jeffrey wouldn't get life in 'da hood.'

Jeffrey excused the first few obscenities, but he had to draw the line somewhere. He grabbed his arm and scolded him.

"Listen, I'm no stranger to foul language, and I've heard some whacked out stuff through the centuries, but I want you to knock it off. You have a smart brain, use it and think of better words. If you think you're gonna die if you don't curse, then keep it as a seasoning, not a full course meal, you getting me?"

Jaiden pulled his arm away but kept silent. Jeffrey wasn't finished. He needed to say his peace once and for all to the kid.

"And for the record, I've traveled around the world and back again and got exposed to nearly every culture since time began. Don't even begin to tell me that all this nonsense from _'da hood' _is part of real black culture.A lot of it is urban garbage, designed to keep the black race looking stupid and violent in the eyes of the rest of the world."

Jaiden glared at him. "What do you know about it?"

"I know that it's an extreme insult to black people everywhere, and I'm sure I'm not the first one to tell you that. Ask your teachers. People are people no matter where you go, and we may not agree with every culture out there… but this jive talking, ghetto speak is gonna end here and now, you diggin' me, turkey?"

Laughter bubbled up inside Jeffrey when Jaiden's face turned from angry to perplexed. The last time Jeffrey heard 'ghetto speak' like that was in 1982.

"Uh, never mind. That's _old-school_ ghetto talk. Just can it, okay?"

Jaiden shook his head and curled his mouth wryly. "_Yeaaaa,_ _pssstttt…_"

Jeffrey wagged a finger at him.

"And do not suck your teeth at me. If anything gets me upset, it's that! It's disrespectful. I don't want to hear that deflating tire noise coming from you either. Are we clear?"

Jaiden pouted, but refrained from making the noises. His grandmother never tolerated it and rapped him a hard one on the hand if he got fresh with her. She called him and his friends a bunch of useless flat tires whenever she heard it.

Jaiden stared him in the eye. "Okay, _massa!_ I don't even know your name and you come up in here telling me what to do!"

Jeffrey grabbed Jaiden's collar tight. "My name is Jeffrey Jones, you can call me Jeffrey or even Jones, but _never_ that! Especially in this time zone! Don't be a smart aleck, Jaiden. I know you better than that. Now can the small talk, because I gotta do my job!"

Jaiden wanted to spit in Jeffrey's face, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wriggled free.

"I didn't ask for this! You're the one stalking and dragging me here, who cares about your crappy job!"

"Yeah?"

"Heck yeah!"

"Well, I care…and one day you will too!"

"Man, what do you want from me?" Jaiden slumped onto the grass. "I was doin' fine without you."

"No, you were about to get murdered and you know it."

Jeffrey gaped and stepped back. He had to simmer down. Now he knew what Bogg felt the first time, utter shame and anger for getting bested by a kid. Jeffrey had a great advantage over Bogg. He knew this kid inside and out and in ways already loved him. Bogg always told Jeffrey that his patience trumped his. Jeffrey developed a compassionate rapport to nearly everyone at the start.

Jeffrey held out his hand. "I can be a pretty cool guy if you give me a chance. I just want to be your friend, and from the looks of things right now, I'm the only friend you have. It's scary when you're not in your own time-zone. We need to trust each other. Can you do that?"

Jaiden shook his hand. "Okay, Jeffrey. I guess I have no choice."

Jaiden relaxed and looked warily at Jeffrey's arm, the blood seeped through his bandage. He walked ahead. "I'm gonna go find water, I'm thirsty and you gotta clean your arm."

Jeffrey sprinted to catch up. "Wait a minute. You don't go anywhere without me unless I say so. I'm responsible for you now, Jaiden Hoyt…until I figure out what to do with you."

**~Oo~**

They trekked a few minutes and came to a stream. Jaiden didn't trust the water but Jeffrey slurped it up greedily and removed his shirt right away to wash and cool down.

"Yo, you gonna get all sick and get germs in your shoulder, Jeff! That stuff is pollution!"

"Not necessarily in 1853 so drink up. It's not the Paris sewers during the French Revolution, trust me."

Jaiden wasn't convinced. "New York ain't…_isn't_ any better."

"You can say that again. Look, I won't have you dehydrating and fainting on me. Not like that time when your _lovely _first foster momDiane, took you to the park and let you run around for hours without any food and drink in a heat wave."

Jaiden gaped at him. "How did…how you know that?"

"Think hard, kid. Remember that biker who happened to come by with a cold bottle of water and smelling salts?"

Jaiden slid to his knees in awe and studied Jeffrey closely. Two years ago he wore a regular biking outfit and his hair was shorter and pushed back in a low ponytail. He looked exactly the same but he didn't have the beard, and he kept his face partially obscured by a baseball cap. Jaiden fell in and out of a stupor, but remembered a soothing male voice coaxing him to keep alert the whole. He felt comforted and didn't want him to leave his side. His foster mom later raved about the Italian man who carried Jaiden to the shady area and revived him. She learned her lesson, but also that she didn't want the responsibility of raising a child this way. Social Services intruded on her personal life far too often.

Jaiden stared at their reflections in the stream. His face scrunched sadly. "I remember you now! You came to my house when Grammy Ella died. You tried to wake her up."

Jeffrey bit his lip and nodded slowly. "Yeah, but I couldn't. She died during the night, Jaiden."

"I know she did. Thanks for trying though. I guess you just wanted to make me feel better."

Jeffrey hated to reflect on that day. He put appearances and gave Ella CPR. Jaiden showed little emotion, as if he knew it was the beginning of the end for him.

Jaiden cupped the water and sipped it little by little, until he finally gave up and just lowered his entire face in the stream. After quenching his thirst he pulled himself up refreshed. He was surprised how clean and pure it tasted.

"Why didn't you say something to me?"

"What could I say? You were out of it in the park. And it was definitely not your time then."

Without being asked, Jaiden replaced the bandage and this time kept a cool compress on the wound before using the alcohol. It looked better already.

"I'm glad to have a doctor on board." Jeffrey grinned.

"I even taught myself how to make stitches!" Jaiden boasted. "I googled it."

"_Googled?_…Oh right. The Internet stuff. My friend taught me one time, because I had to do it for him on the spur of the moment. That was scary. But he was okay."

"Wow, you think you need stitches?"

Jeffrey looked his shoulder over. "No. It's just a flesh wound. But I'm glad Antoine had terrible aim. He couldn't even hold the gun straight."

Jaiden sat back satisfied with his handiwork. "No man, that's the gangsta way!" He emulated holding a gun sideways and shot off three times.

Jeffrey looked at him seriously. "We're not gonna get ourselves involved with guns in _any_ way if we can help it. Besides, if you saw some of the guns throughout history, there's no way they can pull that off and hit a target."

"Okay. I don't…I don't like guns."

Jeffrey mussed Jaiden's curls. "Me either. See, we do have stuff in common. You know what else?"

"No?"

"We're both New Yorkers."

"That's dope. I kinda thought you were." Jaiden plucked at the wildflowers and tore off petals. "Jeff, what do you mean _not my time_? Not my time to die?"

"No, I meant not your time to be a Voyager."

Jaiden passed him his sweater and coat. "You trying to tell me I'm supposed to be like you?"

"Yes, but not at eight years old and certainly not now at…how old are you again?"

"I'm ten years old." He remarked proudly.

"Wow, you're in the big leagues now. When I first became a Voyager I was eleven. It happened by mistake too."

Jaiden slapped his neck. "You still here. maybe it wasn't a mistake. These mosquitoes are eatin' me up. There's so many. Can we keep going?"

"Yeah, we should. We need to find the nearest town or city to see what's wrong."

They resumed walking. "How we gonna do that, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey grinned and pulled out a thick black book from his inner coat pocket. "With this life saver."

"A Bible?"

"No, a Guidebook."

"Like I said, a Bible? Grammy Ella called it that. _A personal Guidebook to life_. I liked it when she read to me."

Jeffrey smiled. "I guess you could say the Bible is a guidebook too. This book is designed especially for Voyagers. It's like a history book you get in school. And all I need to do is look up where we are in the time line and then we'll have a better idea of what the problem is and how to fix it. It's so easy. Man, I wish me and Bogg had one for those first two years."

"Why didn't you just go and get one from wherever you get them?"

"I used to ask the same thing, but it never happened. We were too busy jumping around one place to the next. Looking back, it was kinda more fun that way."

"Then how did you fix anything? Even my teacher needs her lesson plan and books when we learn history."

Jeffrey grinned. "I _really_ knew my history, Jaiden. I guess I was smart, like you. And my real father was a history professor."

"You was in foster care too? Where your father go? Did you have a mama?"

Jeffrey's heart prickled sadly. "My parents were killed in a bad camper accident when I was your age. I lived with my aunt. But after a while, she was tired of keeping me. Her boyfriend wasn't thrilled either. All he cared about was going to Cancun."

Jaiden stared at his new guardian and felt a twinge of sympathy. Maybe Jeffrey Jones knew what his life was like after all.

"That sucks when you know they don't want you…it…it hurts."

Jeffrey kicked around foliage. "Yeah, it really does. For a long time. I'm so grateful I had Bogg looking out for me."

"Who's Bogg?"

"Bogg is my best friend and mentor. He was the Voyager that found me. I'll tell you all about him. It will help pass the time and you'll better understand what being a Voyager is all about."

"Okay…if you say so." Jaiden shrugged miserably.

Jeffrey knelt down to him. "What's wrong, Jay?"

"If I'm not ready to be a Voyager, why can't I just go home? You can bring me home, can't you, Jeff?"

Jeffrey held his shoulders and Jaiden flinched, but then he relaxed when Jeffrey smiled kindly.

"If I take you home right now, Antoine and his gang are gonna be waiting for you with that gun. I can't risk it, kid. And the light is red here. I have an obligation to fix it."

Jaiden tried hard not to cry. Jeffrey knew at his age he would have been in tears. If Jaiden felt the need to, Jeffrey would be ready with open arms, just as Bogg had always been.

"But…but what about Miss Williams? They know where she lives, and they know she got the safe in her house behind the portrait of her old husband. They could hurt her, Jeffrey."

"_Aww _kid…I'll tell you what, as soon as we finish up what we have to do here, we'll go back and check on Miss Williams together."

"You ain't…you're _not_ playin'?"

Jeffrey rose up and grinned. "Kid, I _never _lie."


	3. To a crisp

**Voyager Shadows: Jaiden's Tale**

**Chapter 3: To a crisp**

Jeffrey and Jaiden continued their search for a town. After an hour the sun set and they tired out. As they came closer to civilization, they elicited stares from the locals because of their strange, modern day clothing and the fact that a white man traveled conspicuously along with a little black boy. Slavery and major prejudices still affected the Northern States.

"Jaiden, stick close to me, okay? We're strangers in a strange land. I need to find a tailor or something fast."

Jaiden looked down at his baggy black jeans and tan construction boots. He wore a plain red tee shirt and carried his brown and beige winter coat on his arm. "What about me, Jeff?"

"I think you're okay for now. You know when I traveled with Bogg we wore the same clothes for almost two years. I didn't think that was possible."

"_Dang!_ That must have been stank!"

"Hey, we're clean guys, we just never had money to buy new ones. Currency changes in every country and century, kid. We found different clothes any way we could."

The surrounding area flowered with lush hills and knolls; giant, leafy trees dotted the landscape and concealed the houses.

"I ain't never seen so much grass in my life. There's nothing here. We're lost!" Jaiden said.

"They're around, but it's pretty rural. I saw a sign back there that said _Saratoga Springs_. It's more of a resort town than anything, even in 2011. Hey, look over there, I think that's a resort."

"You mean like those fancy ones with the pools and stuff?"

"Well, there are no swimming pools in 1853, but it looks very fancy to me."

Jeffrey's assumption proved true. They neared a sprawling lodge with gabled roofs and a vivid white and powder blue exterior painted to match the skies. The people within dressed refined in heavy bell-shaped skirts and lace and high collared suits.

"Man, how did people even live with all them clothes and no AC? That's crazy."

"Well, they did…_endured _it is more like it. You get used to the feeling after a while."

Jaiden tugged on his arm before they entered. "Yo, Jeff, I don't think they'll let us in here. I don't see no black people and right now you look like a bum."

"Thanks kid, you're great for one's self-esteem."

Jaiden smiled. "I say it as I see it."

"I remember being that way, but sometimes you have to be discreet and keep your mouth shut."

"You that sensitive? _Jeesh!_"

"Not me, but…you'll learn. I think you're right, kid, but I'll have to try. Just let me do the talking, okay?"

"You the man, Jeff."

Inside the elegant lobby, the front desk manager looked up from his paperwork aghast. He stared them over critically under protruding white eyebrows and round spectacles.

"Sir, this is an upscale establishment, we do not allow derelicts or coloreds. I'll have to ask you to leave."

Jaiden noticed some of the staff dressed to the gills in starched white uniforms. They bore the heat and waited hand and foot on the patrons in the dining lounge. He looked at the manager angrily.

"_Coloreds? _I'm ain't no crayon! You let my homies work in the kitchen I bet, and they're serving everyone. Why can't we stay?"

"What…how dare you speak to me that way? What are homies?"

"Yo, homies, my brothers…" Jaiden explained. "Black people."

"I don't have time for this. Out!"

All the people within earshot stared. A few of the staff could barely contain their smiles. Jeffrey held his head embarrassed. He apologized to the manager and dragged Jaiden outside. He knelt beside him and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Listen to me, Jaiden. I had a feeling this was gonna happen. But there's nothing I can do about it. We are in the past, do you remember all your history lessons, or all those reports you had to do for Black history month in school?"

"Yeah, I have a biography due next week too. Pick your favorite black inventor. I didn't know black dudes invented anything!"

"Are you kidding? Sure they did! Okay, so you know how…many, many people treated blacks in the past. It wasn't kind."

"No way! They killed them and hung 'em, and shot 'em and…" Alarm passed over Jaiden's face. "Jeffrey, they won't do that to me, you won't let them, right?"

Jeffrey held his arm. "Even if my life depended on it, nobody will hurt you. Not even your own race." Jeffrey winced, thinking of Antoine's cruelty.

Jaiden read his thoughts. "Yeah, like them thugs in Brooklyn. Everybody's a punk, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that. But people like this manager are gonna say things you don't agree with, mean things about your skin color or your status. They might even think you're my slave. The Civil War is not for another eight years."

Jeffrey stood up and rubbed the back of his head. He paced. "Jaiden, I need you to be brave and just ignore it. Look at all the other workers, are they complaining?"

"That's because they scared, they don't want to lose their jobs. But I know they don't like it either."

"Of course not. And they fought hard for changes. But this is life in the past. People of different ethnic groups, skin color, and culture are always persecuted somehow. It was a long road to get to where you are in 2011, and it's still not perfect."

Jaiden slumped his shoulders. "So I should just pretend to be a quiet little negro boy?"

"You _are_ quiet…and black." Jeffrey smiled. "And little. So there you go, do it for me, you owe me one, right?"

Jaiden nodded. He never thanked Jeffrey for saving his life. "Okay, Jeff. I'll try and forget it. I just wish…they weren't hatin' on us so much, you know?"

"I know, Jay. It's wrong."

The manager came out. "Excuse me, what is your business here? I thought I told you to leave."

Jeffrey put on his most pitiful expression; he wished he had a hat to wring in his hands. "Please sir, we don't mean any trouble, it's just that…our wagon was hijacked miles back and they even tried to shoot at me when we escaped. The outlaws stole everything."

"Not everything, you still got your slave boy. I'm surprised. He's young and fit. That would have brought them a pretty penny down South."

Jeffrey bristled. He looked upon Jaiden as a piece of property. "I pleaded with them to spare his life. All I'm asking is if we can have a place to stay for the night and wash up, maybe just a fresh change of clothes and one meal? We'll…we'll work for it!"

The manager stroked his mustache. The man standing before him appeared sincere and his little slave looked very out of sorts.

"Nobody can say I never did favors for the poor and downtrodden. One night won't hurt. I'll get the cost of your stay out of the boy. We can always use more dishwashers and people to tidy up when the guests are not on premises. I'll give you a room."

Jeffrey nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much, sir! Come on, Jaiden."

The manager put his arm out. "Wait a minute. I said I'd give _you_ a room, not him. He'll have to sleep in the Negro quarters with the other staff."

Jaiden stared open mouthed and Jeffrey gripped his arm to keep him quiet. "What? He's just a child. He won't be any trouble."

"Rules are rules. If my guests saw either one of you lollygagging around the premises they would not patron my lodge. Take it or leave it. He can start tonight."

"If he sleeps in the Negro quarters, then I'm going with him. I don't need a room with a view, just a decent bed and something to treat my wound. We stick together."

Jaiden's trust in Jeffrey strengthened as he watched the exchange. Jeffrey really letting the man have it in the most respectful way possible – no fists, no weapons, and no bad language. Jeffrey passionately defended the underdogs. Jaiden looked down to hide a grin. He liked this strange time-traveler better already.

The manager tossed his hands up. "If that's what you want, that's better for me, I can reserve the space for _paying _customers."

The man's flippant attitude irked Jeffrey, and he couldn't imagine what Jaiden thought. Jaiden stuck very close by and clutched his sleeve. The manager brought them out back to a row of log cabins and picked the smallest.

"It's not in use right now. The boy can take the floor. You'll find extra work clothes in the trunk. Have him change into something more suitable for the kitchen and report there immediately. I'll have one of the cooks direct him."

Jeffrey slammed the cabin door after the manager hurried off. He sat on the bed exhausted. At the foot of the bed he found a gray trunk filled with cleaning clothes and pulled out a loose, button down brown shirt. He dug for a smaller shirt and apron. Jaiden poked around the cabin and scratched his mosquito bites.

"Jeffrey, I'm no slave. I'm not working in the kitchen! He's not paying me."

"Jaiden, _I_ know you're not a slave. But he doesn't know. And in a way he is paying us by letting us stay here overnight. Look, if I wasn't wounded, I'd do the work, but you heard him."

"Yeah, the jerk! This ain't fair! He's so stupid…" Jaiden shot off a few profanities and Jeffrey sighed.

"You know, I lose more respect for you every time you do that. Life isn't fair for anyone. Deal with it. I don't want you to work, but there are things that Voyagers have to do in order figure out why the time zone is wrong. I remember Bogg used to apply for all sorts of jobs. We flew airplanes, got thrown in dungeons, stocks, fought gladiators and Nazis…"

"I tol' you, I'm not a Voyager!" Jaiden burst out. "Maybe it was good ol' fun for you white guys, but nobody is gonna call you a _nigger_ and kick you around and tie you up and drag your body across the road and laugh and tear your face up and get away with it!" He gulped down tears and plunked on the chair.

"Jaiden, I'm sorry…"

"Forget it! Leave me alone!"

Jeffrey still approached and Jaiden put his arms around Jeffrey's waist and sobbed. "Jeffrey, please! Please! I don't wanna be in the past! I don't wanna die here!"

Jeffrey hugged him tight. The boy's reaction almost drove him to cry, but he kept his emotions in check. "Jaiden, you're_ not _gonna die. I told you I'd protect you. What you just said…you learned that in school, right? They taught about the Civil Rights movement and the death of Emmett Till?"

Jaiden looked up with shining eyes. "Yeah. Yesterday. What if that stupid clock takes us to…to…the South and they do that to me! I didn't like the pictures, they scared me!"

His words struck Jeffrey's heart. He always knew how prejudice and racism affected people, but he would never fully understand the deep pain, fear, and bitter hatred they harbored toward their persecutors. He probably never would. This was the closest he ever came since sitting around a campfire with Harriet Tubman discussing the evil of slavery, and later trying to convince Joe Louis to fight Max Schelling.

Jaiden trembled and Jeffrey stroked his hair and massaged his back. He resolved not to play the part of the patronizing white guy who tried to tell others what to do and how they should react and fight for a cause. Jaiden's cause was universal for any child. He needed love and friendship.

"Keep calm, it's okay. I remember when I first saw the pictures of his casket too. They made me cry. Jaiden, I can't promise you more than I already have. I know life is scary and hard to deal with sometimes. On top of that, you feel lost and alone…without a family. I felt that way, even when Bogg came it took me a long time to realize that he cared and he…he loved me. Bogg became my family."

Jeffrey pulled back and handed him a handkerchief. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…now that we know each other, maybe we can be like a family too. Like brothers. Do you wanna try?"

Jaiden curled his shoulders and nodded. He couldn't meet Jeffrey's gaze.

Jeffrey patted his back. "I'm happy you do. I like you, Jaiden, you're a funny, cool kid. Like I was." He winked.

Jaiden's mood lifted. He sniffled and wiped his eyes fast.

"Hey, what about that red light? It's still beeping?"

"Yep. Maybe our red light is here in this lodge. In fact, I'm almost a hundred percent sure of it." He passed Jaiden the clothes. "Keep your pants and the boots, just put the shirt and apron on. I'm gonna get some medicine for this wound once and for all and take a nap. Is that okay?"

"Fine. I guess…I guess you deserve it. You saved me. Thanks, Jeffrey."

**~Oo~**

Jaiden stomped through the kitchen back entrance. The steam dripped off the walls and created a haze. Frenzied cooks chopped and boiled vegetables, sautéed meats, mixed soups and tossed fresh salads. A tall, distinguished black man with a thick mustache approached him.

"Are you the child Mr. Washbourne sent in? What's your name, boy?"

"My name is Jaiden."

"Jaiden, my name is George…see that basin over there? Them dishes have your name on it. I just pumped it full of hot water. Take the hard soap and get to scrubbing."

Jaiden stared wide-eyed. He found only a small chair and rag to do his task. He got on his knees and noticed all the plates had bits and pieces of food stuck to them.

"Hey George! Where do I scrape all this gunk?"

"In that slop bucket next to you! Hurry up now, the dinner crowd will be coming soon!"

Jaiden fussed and grumbled to himself, but he got down to work. A few times the cooks passed by and praised his speed and efficiency. The foster homes always made him do chores, perhaps more than a little boy should. He specialized in dishes.

George assigned him to sweep up the food mess and scrub the floors. After two hours, the delicious aromas gnawed his senses and he needed a break. He saw George peeling large potatoes. He sliced each one very thick and dunked them in hot oil. Jaiden dried his hands and went over.

"Hey, can I get some French fries please?"

"_French fries?_ What are those?"

"That's what your making."

"Never heard them called that. These are just plain fried potatoes the way Thomas Jefferson used to like 'em. But maybe you got a point there, they do come from a French menu."

"Well _duh, _that's why they French fries! Can I have some, please? I washed every dish and fork and spoon in this place. How much can people eat in a day?" Jaiden begged. "I swept all the floors and scrubbed…my hands hurt!" He held them up for inspection. His palms reddened and blistered.

George laughed. The boy must have been a house servant, perhaps the pampered love child of a master and his slave. He didn't want to speculate. He was only working for the night. "Alright boy, the real chores start after dinner, you deserve a rest."

George removed the golden fried potatoes from the oil. He put four on the plate and sprinkled salt and pepper on top. He went to the cutting board and grabbed a few slices of pot roast. "Go on, Jaiden, eat up and not too fast now. That food has to last you for the night. There's some salad on the table."

"Thanks, George!"

Jaiden dragged his chair to an obscure corner and ate heartily. He skipped the salad, but munched on a few carrot sticks. The food tasted fresh and different than the meats he ate at home. George was a good cook. After he finished he forced himself to take a nap.

"_When they want me, they'll wake me up." _Jaiden thought. He folded his arms and closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later George stormed into the kitchen and tossed a plate of fried potatoes on the table.

"I hate snobby white folk like this! I've been cooking my recipe for years and he comes and tells me they're too thick? Too bland! I make em thinner, and what does he do? He sends them back again! Who does he think he is? His own president ate them this way! That's the way you make fried potatoes!"

"What up, George?" Jaiden rubbed his eyes.

"Never you mind, boy. Get back to work!"

Jaiden looked at the broken plate and shoved a few left over fries in his mouth. He thought of Jeffrey waking up hungry too. A man in recovery needed all his strength and nutrients. He skulked around and made a big plate of food for him. He covered it over with a dinner napkin and put it on his chair. An idea struck him and he giggled.

George swung around. "What's so funny, boy? I'm not laughing. I got too many other mouths to feed out there to be goin' back and forth with this stuffed shirt! I'm about to quit this place, I really am."

"Yo, George, chill. Homeboy wants thin fries, give him thin fries! Slice em' so thin he can barely taste them…burn them to a crisp! And give him a ton of salt too!"

The other cooks looked at the odd child and they all laughed. George's sister Katie urged her brother on.

"I like that idea. Come on, Georgie, let's get to frying. I'll do a seasoning he'll never forget!"

George grabbed two potatoes and followed Jaiden's instructions. "Boy, this is gonna be good! I mean, awful! I like the way you think. If I did quit, Katie would have my hide. We need the income."

"You better believe it! You're a wonderful cook and we have to save up for our own restaurant. That was always your dream, Georgie." Katie said.

Within a few minutes he prepared the potatoes and slid them on the plate. George gloated while Jaiden and the others tasted them and murmured approval.

Jaiden bit into it and it crunched hard in his mouth.

"_Dang! _You made burned Pringles, yo! These actually taste great."

"What's a pringle?"

"Uh, nothing, this is perfect! Let's see how he likes it now! He wanted thin, he got it."

George tossed a napkin over his arm and held the plate high. He strutted out and the other cooks and servants anxiously waited by the kitchen entrance. Five minutes later George came back stunned.

"What happened? You got fired?" Jaiden asked worried.

"No…the man loved them! I should have known with the way you all licked your fingers. And I just got five more orders for my 'potato crisps.' The manager wants them on the menu by tomorrow!"

"You mean, potato chips." Jaiden corrected him.

Everyone cheered George on. A tingling feeling passed through Jaiden. Something major happened here. He didn't know why, but he felt a surge of accomplishment like never before. He needed to see Jeffrey right away.

"Hey, boy, I like the sound of that name. But I think I'll call these, _Saratoga chips_! They're gonna catch on fast!"

**~Oo~**

Jeffrey woke up and quickly checked his shoulder. The bleeding subsided and the pain dulled. He looked outside into pitch darkness. He slept three hours while Jaiden worked.

"The poor little kid. I gotta go check on him." On instinct, he opened the omni and his jaw dropped. "What the heck?"

Jaiden rushed into the lodge with a plate of food. He tossed off his apron. "Jeffrey! Guess what? I think I fixed something!"

Jeffrey's smile widened. "I'll say you did, look at the omni!"

Jaiden stared at the bright green light. "That's good, right? Green means history's fixed?"

"It sure does! Tell me everything that happened…wait a minute." Jeffrey rushed to his coat and set up his microphone. "Speak loud and clear, I have to record this for my reports."

"Reports? What do you mean?"

"_Uhh, _it's just official Voyager stuff. I'll explain another time."

Jaiden shrugged and elaborated about George and the potato chips. Jeffrey clapped.

"Jaiden, you just successfully completed your first mission! All by yourself!"

"I did? How? I only told the dude to make potato chips. I didn't know the customer was gonna like them. It was just a joke. Now he's gonna be famous!"

"And that's exactly how history went down. George Crum 'invented' the modern-day potato chip. In fact, people weren't sure how they really started or what the true story was. Thin potato 'shavings' were around for years before this, but it's never been as successful."

"Jeff, you sound like an encyclopedia." Jaiden giggled.

"I've been called that, among other things." He thought of Bogg casually nicknaming him the _history book in pants_ and smiled. He woke up missing his friend. He hadn't seen Bogg in two months.

"So, you're saying I'm the one who invented them for America? That's fly!"

"We know it, and George and the other cooks know it. But as Voyagers, it's vital we keep everything on the down-low."

Jaiden grinned and slapped him five. "Yo, Jeff! That's ghetto speak."

"Yeah, I guess so." He laughed.

"So now what? Can we bounce?"

Jeffrey buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in. He smiled soberly at Jaiden. "A promise is a promise, kid. Yeah, after I eat. Now we can go back and make sure Mrs. Williams is safe."


	4. Raising Jaiden

**Voyager Shadows: Jaiden's Tale**

**Chapter 4: Raising Jaiden**

Jeffrey and Jaiden didn't 'bounce' from the time zone after he finished the dinner. With all the authority of a pint-sized doctor Jaiden decided that Jeffrey needed more time to heal. However, Jeffrey went in to help with the cleaning and they finished around midnight. Jaiden fell into an exhaustive sleep on his little chair in the corner and Jeffrey carried him back to the cabin. He set up a small pillow and blanket on the floor for himself after he tucked Jaiden into the bed. He planned to leave before breakfast, otherwise the owner would make Jaiden work again.

Jeffrey laced his hands behind his head and stared at the shafts of moonlight poking through the dry cracks. He smiled. They could always enjoy a greasy, ham, egg and cheese sandwich from a Brooklyn grocer. He devised a plan to warn Pamela Williams about the impending robbery. She was a very intelligent woman and probably wouldn't buy the 'Social Worker' ruse he employed so often. He rolled on his stomach and strummed his fingers on the floor.

"_Hmm…_what's a good excuse for me to get involved?" He snapped fast. "_Got it! _ I'll be a new _Guidance Counselor_ at the school and I was just assigned to Jaiden's case." He said aloud.

Voyager Headquarters would provide the necessary documents he needed to present her as proof. Jeffrey didn't want Jaiden to know too much about his recording device. It not only recorded sound, but Jeffrey could send signals and text messages to Headquarters for additional resources. At times they sent field workers to play roles. Jeffrey loved the secrecy and efficiency of the Shadow Sector and thought it clever like Paul Newman and Robert Redford's big con in the movie, _The Sting_. Until he saw the film, Bogg never understood why Jeffrey said they were _Gondorff _and _Hooker_.

"Through the years we've also been, _Batman and Robin_, _Peanut Butter and Jelly_, and _Starsky and Hutch_." Jeffrey thought and chuckled quietly.

Jeffrey still carried 2011 currency in his wallet. He needed to buy new clothing. Normally he returned to Voyager Headquarters for a costume change and then calibrated the omni to appear exactly after he left – give or take five minutes. Jeffrey preferred to choose his own wardrobe from their vast collection of period clothing. He also had the option to request that another Voyager bring items.

He sat up and stared at the bed when he heard him whimper. Jaiden slept in a fetal position and hugged his pillow close; his curls splayed out and concealed his face. He looked so innocent and helpless. Jeffrey wondered if Bogg ever watched him sleep as a child. It was not something he was apt to ask his partner. Knowing the love Bogg had and the strong desire to protect him, Jeffrey had no doubts, because he felt the same for Jaiden.

Jaiden stirred and moaned. Tears dripped from his eyes, but he didn't wake up. Jeffrey warily crawled up to the edge of the bed. Jaiden was prone to nightmares and talking in his sleep. Jeffrey couldn't get his terrified face out of his mind after his small outburst tonight. He wanted to do everything in his power to shield him. The thought of tossing him back into that crummy foster-care system sent his blood boiling. He wanted Jaiden to stay with him, just as he stayed with Bogg.

_"I'm jumping the gun…it's not the same, Jaiden has a time and place when he's to become a Voyager. Bogg warned me about this the last time we saw each other…"_

**~Oo~**

**Two months earlier: VHQ Complex**

"Looks like HQ is cutting corners and making us roomies again, Bogg. I'm sure you love it!" Jeffrey teased his partner from the bathroom as he shaved.

"Yeah, I'm _thrilled _beyond words_._" Bogg droned from the kitchen. "Just stop leaving black whiskers all over the place. Last time it was in my toothbrush. _Blech!_"

"You complain more than a housewife!" Jeffrey laughed and finished up.

Jeffrey was needed in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, 2009. A blip on Jaiden's time-line turned critical when the boy passed out from heat stroke and dehydration. The chain of events spiraled and Jaiden was sent to another foster care home, but he ran away and in 2012 got killed in a dangerous shoot-out in the neighborhood. The cycle of violence never seemed to end for this child.

Jeffrey needed to find a suitable foster-mother. Diane failed him. He hated the fact that he kept pushing Jaiden from home to home. It was time for him to have a permanent situation someone who really loved him and looked out for his welfare.

Jeffrey dried his face and rubbed the towel over his beardless cheeks. He stared in the mirror. "Why not me? Why can't I have an apprentice like Bogg? Jaiden is perfect!"

Pans clattered from inside. "Hey, Jeff, did you call me?" Bogg asked. I'm a little busy in here."

Jeffrey came out. "No, just thinking out loud. Smells great! What's for dinner?"

"Uh, actually, this is for me and Susan. I invited her over. Hope ya don't mind, since you're gonna be on assignment."

Jeffrey lifted the pot lid and rolled his eyes. "Why would I? Stew _again?_ The _perfect _meal to a woman's heart…Bogg, why don't you use one of those cookbooks we have? There are a million and one things to cook. You want to romance a lady, you gotta start cooking Italian-style! It's pure romantic food. Why am I even telling you that, you said that to me."

Bogg tossed down his _I (Heart) Beef Jerky _apron Jeffrey gave him as a joke gift and made him a plate of food. He always cooked enough for a small army.

"Susan loves the stew, Jeff. It's not a romantic thing, just dinner between good friends. I can get very romantic on my own terms, thank you."

Jeffrey sat down to eat and smirked. "It's been a while there, bub."

"I don't see you making strides, Casanova."

"Can't, too busy. Someday I'll meet _the one_. So will you."

Bogg shrugged. "_Ehh, _maybe. But sometimes I think Voyagers are destined for singleness."

Jeffrey felt his partner's loneliness. "You've been very supportive of Susan since her husband died in the field. How long has it been?"

Bogg ran a hand through his hair. Pushing forty, the man was still an Adonis with only a few crows feet near his vivid blue eyes and the tiniest hints of silver around his temples. Bogg never lost his prowess.

"Three months. It's a shame. Darien was a great Voyager, a real stand-up guy and good friend once I stopped being jealous."

Jeff twirled the food around. "Yeah, he was. Bogg, you had no right to be jealous. You made the moves on Susan eventually, but it never went anywhere. She couldn't wait forever. Besides, he worked in the courts too. They understood each other."

Bogg sighed. "I know, they were together eight years and I've never seen her happier. Now maybe I should be the one to make her happy again."

Jeffrey grinned. "You getting the itch, huh? No one's stopping you, Bogg. I love Susan, if you decided to hook up, that would be awesome."

"Thanks for the support, but I'm not quite there yet. Neither is she. Her husband died a field worker, and what am I?" Bogg sighed.

"You're technically a _Shadow_ now, it's less dangerous work. And Susan knows what's involved, Bogg."

Phineas got up and rifled through the bookshelf. "It's not just that. I'm very busy. *I got a new assignment today. It's a level 5."

"Wow. That's top priority. What's up with that?"

"I don't know. Her name is Natalie Powers. A beautiful blonde girl from the sixties Midwest. She has the prettiest green eyes I ever saw. I don't have to follow her life-course, but I gotta step in now that she's a teenager."

Jeffrey nearly choked on a piece of beef. He gulped down water. Bogg laughed and pulled her file to show him the picture. Jeffrey smiled at the lovely portrait. If she were ten or more years older he could envision Bogg turning on the charm. He would have at sixteen.

"Bogg, how come _you_ always get the girls? Doesn't VHQ know the rules?"

Bogg put the folder away and smirked. "What rules? We here at VHQ are equal opportunists. You know how it is, Jeff. I have a…"

Jeffrey cut him off. "A way with women, children, and animals." He mocked his bass toned voice and counted his fingers. "And I still only give you two out of three."

"Jeffrey, at this stage in her life, I'm old enough to be her father. Do you still consider me a grinning Lothario after all these years?" Bogg asked wryly.

"No, I'm just surprised. You'll have to tell me all about it."

"Sure, once I get cracking and read her file thoroughly. But forget me, something's weighing on your mind. I know you gotta run, but do ya wanna talk about it? Is it Jaiden?"

Jeffrey sighed and cleared his dishes. "Yeah, who else these days? I gotta to come out and say it. I love that kid and…"

He stared at Bogg's vague expression. The glare in his eyes told Jeffrey that he knew exactly what he felt.

"And?"

"And I want to keep him. I want him to have the same opportunities that you gave me."

Bogg exhaled a sigh and crossed his arms. "Jeff, you know the kind of life we led, hopping through time, never knowing where our next meal or shelter was coming from. And always relying on the kindness of strangers. How many times were you almost killed and we lost each other?"

"I know all that, but the point is we became a family, Bogg. Jaiden has nobody. I would have been alone too if it weren't for your big heart."

Bogg looked away modestly and smiled. "I know how attached you are to the kid. Heck, I've seen his pictures and your video records and he's adorable. I'd like to play big uncle Bogg too, but I don't think it's practical."

Bogg began to tidy up the complex. Jeffrey wanted him to elaborate on his comment.

"What does that mean? _Practical?_"

"I mean…there's a big responsibility involved with raising a kid. Are you sure you want it? You have your whole life ahead of you and I know you're gonna go on to do some great things for the cause."

Bogg aligned the cream colored throw pillows on the brown leather couch.

"Look at this place, at our ages we're practically living like frat guys. It's shameful. Susan will be here in an hour and I still have to shower and put on decent clothes."

Bogg never felt entirely comfortable wearing tee shirts and jeans like every other man on earth.

Jeffrey tensed as Bogg sidestepped the truth. "I'm kind of tired of hearing all that. I don't care to know my future; I'm going to make it happen on my own terms. Besides, I'm even older than you were when you found me. You didn't answer my question, Bogg. What's not practical? Is it because he's a little _black_ kid?" He challenged.

Bogg gaped at him and slammed the pillows down. "Don't try and throw that color crap on me, Jeffrey! I don't care if the boy is red or green. You know how I feel and that's all I'm gonna say about that issue."

Jeffrey wagged his hands apologetically. "I'm sorry, Bogg. I know it doesn't matter to you. I just thought I was gonna get a lecture on how it's more dangerous for people of color to be in the past and _blah, __blah, blah…_"

"Don't you think everyone at Voyager Headquarters knows it? It's an unspoken truth. And not just for race – for any overtly persecuted ethnicity and culture, and no matter what Olivia says, even women. But we know how to work around it."

"Then I don't see what the big problem is."

"Jeff, we're not regular field workers anymore. We have specific assignments that take up most of our time and energy. Do you know that I'll probably be on this next one for months? I'll have to live out there in 1964. How are you supposed to do something like that and raise Jaiden at the same time? You can't take him with you. The rules are stricter for Shadows. We work alone and only call in back-up when necessary."

Jeffrey went to his room to change into his bicycle clothes, but left the door ajar to talk to him. "Bogg, he'll be safer _here_ than out there on those mean streets. He'll get a full education without all the distractions. He'll make good friends and have positive influences all around him whether I'm here or not. I can even put in for re-assignment. I've been thinking about teaching history on the premises. But at the end of the day he'll be with me, and he'll finally know what it's like to have a real father."

Bogg set the dining table with long-stemmed white candles and fine dishes and silverware. "Jeffrey, you're no more prepared to be a father than I was."

"That's not true, I have the advantage. I've been an established field worker since I was eleven years old, graduated the Academy with honors and made Valedictorian, and I was chosen for this elite team. I _think _can handle it." He came out of the room dressed to go.

Bogg sat back on the easy chair. "Maybe you can, but that doesn't mean you'll be doing what's best for _him_." Bogg stroked his chin lost in thought. "How can I put this the right way?"

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. "Here we go with the lectures."

Bogg frowned. "My lectures hold water and you know it. Jaiden needs an opportunity to grow in his own community and time-zone, and develop the strength and perseverance that the Tribunal saw in him in the first place. Why do you think they chose him to be a candidate? If you take him now you'll upset that balance."

Jeffrey wished he could get through to him. "If I don't take him now, Bogg, he could die out there! How many freakin' times am I gonna have to get a red on his time-line because one jerk after another hurts and neglects him? I'm sick of it!"

Bogg went to his side and put an arm over his shoulders. "Jeff, I know, but that's exactly why you're monitoring his life and maneuvering events as discreetly as you can. You're doing more than what's required of a Shadow. If the Tribunal found out half the stuff that we all did for our candidates we'd be kicked off the team. You love Jaiden, and right now, that's enough."

"No it's not." He swung around to face him. "And why can't I do both? _You did! _Maybe keeping Jaiden is one of those _so-called_ great things I'm supposed to do for Voyager Headquarters!"

Bogg smiled compassionately and held his shoulders. "Exactly, and guess what? You're doing it! You're pushing Jaiden along where it's needed. You remember what it was like in the field? Meeting all those poor beautiful kids and needy people we wanted to help but couldn't?"

"Yes, but…"

Bogg shook his head. "There are no 'buts' about it. You _are_ helping Jaiden whether he knows it or not. And in the long run he'll thank you for it when the Voyagers pluck him out of time. It's a waiting game, a process."

Jeffrey laughed defeated. "I guess I just _don't_ understand it then. I'm bouncing through his life-line doing this and that, when the Voyagers can easily pick him up from his future and bring him here."

Bogg rubbed his forehead. Time mechanics confounded everyone. "And what future is that, Jeff? The one that's currently a huge red light? Where Jaiden becomes a drug runner or street thug? Or doesn't live past high school? Or the _new_ future that you're doing everything in your power to correct, setting him up slowly but surely to have a decent upbringing and family?"

"I still want him."

Jeffrey was still stubborn as a mule. Bogg wagged his hands irritated. "Jeff, the Tribunal can jump ahead when he's twenty, thirty, and forty even, but without his _Shadow_, you_,_ he'll never become a Voyager. And that's the goal. You can't lose sight of it."

Bogg always chucked pearls of wisdom at exactly the right time. But Jeffrey wasn't entirely convinced. He grabbed his knapsack and picked up the omni.

"What about how I feel toward him? That just has to be completely ignored?"

Bogg gazed at him sternly. "Sometimes…_yes_. We all have a tendency to get attached to people and things, but we can't always have it our way. Shadowing is a covert business that requires a lot of heart, which you have. But sometimes it requires extreme sacrifice. If we don't understand that, then we have no business doing this work."

Jeffrey went to the doorway agitated. He licked his lips and ran a hand over his mouth. The desire for a drink hit him strong, but he fought it.

"And that's my sacrifice, Bogg. I want to sacrifice my life to raising Jaiden. Stop trying to talk me out of it! Or maybe you just wish that someone would have talked you out of raising me?"

An intense hurt crossed Bogg's face but Jeffrey ignored it. Bogg made no comment. They stared each other down and Jeffrey finally broke the ice.

"Okay then…I guess I struck a truth nerve. I have to go, see you when I get back, partner."

"No, not for a while. I'll be in the Midwest, remember? I'll leave you a note." Bogg said quietly. "Bye, Jeff. Think about what I said and be careful."

**~Oo~**

Jeffrey stroked Jaiden's hair and comforted him back to sleep. Jaiden uncurled his body and shifted closer.

He felt like the biggest jerk in the world. He had almost forgotten his disagreement with Bogg and that they didn't part on best terms.

"_Idiot! Why did I have to say something stupid like that? What am I? Twelve-years old again? Why do I always hurt him? It's not intentional. Sometimes I still can't get over the fact that he loved me and took me under his wing. It's hard for me to accept that he became a…foster father."_

Jaiden's breathing slowed and his body relaxed. Jeffrey leaned down and kissed his forehead. Satisfied, he rolled onto his makeshift bed. The pain in his shoulder acted up and he needed more rest. He focused his thoughts on Jaiden's current foster mother.

Pamela Williams was a healthy fifty-five year old widow with two grown sons. The oldest son became an engineer and moved out West and the other went into the family construction business for New York City. Her husband Rodney, who was twelve years her senior, ran the construction company before a heart attack forced him into retirement. He died of heart disease in 2004. Pamela had her hands full managing the two buildings they bought dirt cheap in the eighties, but she made a small fortune renting out to yuppies in the newly renovated and revitalized section of Williamsburg.

Pamela started foster care in 2005. She was charitable and family orientated with strong values. She reminded Jeffrey of Jaiden's great-grandmother. Pamela wasn't concerned about money, she only wanted to help a few children find their way. Two of her foster children were adopted by good families, but the Kevin joined the street crowd and Antoine killed him. Pamela did all she could to track down his real family to tell them the news and even paid for the funeral services and a proper burial in her own family plot. Kevin was a good child, but self-destructive.

Pamela laid down stricter rules for Jaiden, but she did so out of love. Jeffrey delved into her accounts and learned she set him up a college fund. She wanted Jaiden to follow his dream of becoming a doctor.

"_She's the one."_ Jeffrey thought as he nodded off. _"She's the one who will give Jaiden green lights all the way, I'm sure of it. I have to keep her safe."_


	5. Needful Js

**Voyager Shadows: Jaiden's Tale**

**Chapter 5: Needful J's**

Jaiden awoke to the morning calls of two roosters and the sounds of nature. At first he shoved the pillow over his head, but that only made him feel smothered and hot. He scratched his ankles and arms where the mosquitoes attacked the most. He sat up and looked around the cabin. Orange sunlight peeked through the small window and wall crevices. He clutched the pillow tight and bit his lip.

"Jeffrey?" He whispered. "Jeffrey?… _Hello?_" Jaiden peered down and saw Jeffrey's blankets neatly folded on the trunk.

"Jeffrey! Where you at?_ Jeffrey!_" He shouted.

The door swung and Jeffrey rushed to the bed. "Jaiden! I'm here! What is it?"

Jaiden threw the pillow down and climbed into his arms. "I thought you left me! I thought…you used the omni and went away."

Jeffrey smiled and held him. "No, _shhh…_of course not. Hey, a man has to do his business in the morning, right? I had to use the outhouse. I wouldn't leave you, Jaiden. I promise."

Jaiden's cheeks flared and he slid off the bed. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Okay. Next time write a note or something."

Jeffrey laughed. "I'll try. Come on, I figure we should head out before breakfast and…"

They heard a low knock on the door. "_Psst…_hey boy, Mister Jones, you in there? It's me, George."

"What up, George? Come in." Jaiden said, feeling more secure.

George crept inside holding a basket. The aroma of fresh baked muffins and rolls, eggs and sausage wafted through the cabin. "I wanted to catch you before you left. Mr. Washbourne can be a stingy grouch. It's breakfast, a bit of everything. But you can't eat it here. Take it out to the woods. I pumped some fresh water and left a bar of soap for you to wash up outside." He handed the covered basket to Jeffrey. Jaiden peeked inside and couldn't help himself from grabbing a cookie.

"Yo George, you da man! This is cool. I'm starving up in here!" Jaiden grinned.

"I love the way this child talks. I can't thank him enough for giving me that idea for the _Saratoga chips_. I put two bags inside."

"It wasn't my idea, George. You made 'em. You take the credit. You and your sis." Jaiden said. He looked to Jeffrey for assurance and Jeffrey winked at him.

Jeffrey rose and shook George's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Crum. This will help on the road. We have a long ways to go."

"Where you headed Mister Jones?"

"_Umm…back to…_"

"_Brooklyn! _We come from Brooklyn" Jaiden answered. He tugged Jeffrey's arm. "They had Brooklyn back now, right, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey swallowed a laugh. "Yeah, Jay, they did. I've been traveling so much I almost forgot where we were last." Jeffrey replied.

George stared at Jaiden sympathetically. "I wish I could be more help and lend you a wagon or something. But I just work here."

"Oh that's alright, we'll find different means of transportation, right Jay?"

"Right J!"

George laughed. "I have to ask, who is this boy to you? He doesn't seem like a slave child. Is he…your son?"

Jeffrey looked down, wishing he could say yes, but he went with the next best thing. "He doesn't have anybody, I take care of him. He's not my slave. He's like a son to me."

Jaiden pouted, shocked that Jeffrey would say such a thing.

George smiled and rubbed Jaiden's hair. "Son, you're in good hands with Mister Jones here." He patted Jeffrey's back. "There should be more white men like you in the world. Take care of yourselves, now."

"We sure will, and don't give up the dream of _Saratoga chips_. Those are gonna be a real hit. I can feel it." Jeffrey said.

Jeffrey and Jaiden dressed and washed up quickly and left the lodge. When they were in the outskirts of the woods, Jeffrey slowed down.

"The coast is clear? We can use the omni now?" Jaiden asked.

"Not just yet. I think this is a perfect spot."

"For what?"

"For a picnic breakfast! You're not gonna let all George's good food go to waste are you?"

"Oh, heck no! I almost forgot." Jaiden laughed excited. "Let's eat!"

"Great!"

Jeffrey pulled out a worn blanket and spread it on the grass. The food inside the basket seemed never ending with assorted fruits, cheeses, cookies and jams. They ate hearty and slow. Jaiden was surprisingly chatty and Jeffrey kept him focused on positive topics about school and hobbies and and Jaiden brought Jeffrey up to speed on 21st century sports. They bounced around ideas for his book report assignment on a black inventor. And Jaiden gave Jeffrey the long list of why girls drooled and boys ruled. Jeffrey remembered doing the same to Bogg.

Jaiden spoke highly of Pamela Williams and admitted that he felt the most secure with her. Jeffrey shared his exciting adventures with Bogg and Jaiden's eyes glowed with a longing to have his own with Jeffrey.

Jaiden broke up left over rolls to feed the forest critters and birds. Jeffrey rested on his side with his leg up. He never saw a happier smile on the boy's face. Jaiden glanced at him.

"Jeff, were you lyin' in the cabin when you told George that…that I was like a son to you? I know you have to lie a little bit so people won't bother us." Jaiden asked.

"What do you think, Jay?"

Jaiden looked away embarrassed. "I dunno."

Jeffrey approached and sat next to him on a fallen log. "No, I wasn't lying. I know it's hard for you to understand, but as your Voyager Shadow, I've been watching and helping you along since you were a baby. In a way I feel like…"

"Like what?"

"Almost like a father, except the rules are that you're not allowed to know I exist."

"Why not? You're real! And I think you're cool, Jeff."

"Thanks, people aren't supposed to know Voyagers exist, but sometimes they discover us like you did. That couldn't be helped."

Jaiden faced him worried. "When you take me back, what if Antoine and the gang are waiting? You'll leave and then they'll find me and pop me in the head!"

Jeffrey slid off the log and knelt in front of him. "No they won't! I won't let them."

"They already almos' popped you, Jeff. They'll get you again! They can't…I need…_I need you!_" Jaiden's mouth quivered. His heart could no longer contain his long pent-up emotions and he cried openly.

"I don't wanna go home, Jeffrey! I wanna stay with you! Please keep me! I wanna fix history!"

"Oh, Jaiden…_I wish…_I wish I could." Jeffrey mustered out.

Jaiden put his arms over Jeffrey's neck and wrapped his legs around his waist. Jeffrey picked him up and just let him cry. The boy internalized so much for years. His small body shuddered while he bawled, dribbled, and choked up on Jeffrey's shoulder and chest. He cried for his dead grammy Ella, the mother and father he never knew that didn't love him, his fear of getting killed in the streets, and his desire for a real family.

Jeffrey whispered soothing words and tightened his grip. He never wanted to let him go. Bogg always told him there was no better place to pour your heart out than in a deserted forest. Right now Jaiden needed this release.

Whenever Jeffrey felt depressed or emotional about his parents or tragic situations they encountered in history, Bogg knew exactly what to do and say to make it all right. He remembered a time right after their mission with Annie Oakley and the Queen of England…

**~Oo~**

**Flashback**

**1887**

"_The Princess and Pauper_…funny, kid. Really funny. The Queen laughed at me too." Bogg mused as they strolled away from the castle grounds. "It wouldn't have worked out anyway. Even with a princess as beautiful as Victoria, royalty is too stifling and formal for my tastes."

"You're still going on about that joke? It wouldn't have mattered if she were in love with you, Bogg. You're a _commoner_ and those things just weren't done. It's very laughable." Jeffrey told him smartly, walking ahead. "Forget that, you're a pirate! That's even worse."

"Maybe if I were Blackbeard with hair ribbons and loaded matches under my hat, yeah, but not Phineas Bogg."

"I heard Bluebeard used dynamite fuses. Is that true?"

Bogg shrugged. "Darned if I know. When he struck those matches I didn't stick around long enough to find out!"

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. "Forget about the princess. You'll get another opportunity somewhere else. I'm positive."

"Then I'll take your word for it, smartypants."

Although relieved the mission ended on a happy note and a green light, a sharp agitation built up in Jeffrey. Bogg strutted in good spirits and chattered jovially about his pirate adventures and near brushes with death. Jeffrey finally turned around, his cheeks flushed and his eyes watered. Bogg's smile faded and he held his arm.

"Jeffrey, what's the matter?"

Jeffrey rubbed his nose. He refused to cry. His bouts of sadness were getting very redundant. Bogg didn't need to keep dealing with his infantile behavior.

"Nothing…nothing, _uhh,_ it's just an allergy I guess. It's kind of hot out here. All this pollen blowing around." Jeffrey waved his hand and feigned a few coughs and sneezes.

Bogg nodded skeptical. "_I see…_yeah, maybe. Well, I figured you might have wanted to clear your head a little bit before jumping into the next assignment. I'm pretty full after that huge breakfast spread the Queen gave us. I never ate better, but flying through the cosmos on a full stomach is begging for disaster in the next time-zone, trust me!"

"I hope it never happens to me." Jeffrey smiled tightly.

"Just make sure it's a time-zone with an out-house in short running distance. A bathroom would be better." Bogg leaned on a tree and folded his arms. He grinned. "Wasn't this voyage a whopper? I had a lot of fun though! More exciting than the real Wild West! I'll admit Africa scared me." Bogg chuckled. "I nearly got strangled by a Boa constrictor and then those slave traders were pretty tough…"

Bogg faltered when he realized Jeffrey turned away from him and his shoulders quaked.

"Jeffrey, what's wrong? Did I say anything wrong?" Bogg demanded.

Jeffrey always enjoyed his pirate tales before and never missed a beat recounting their Voyager missions.

"_Nooooo…_" Jeffrey gasped, seriously crying now.

"Are you sick? _Hurt?_ Please look at me, Jeff!"

Jeffrey could only shake his head. His throat and jaw ached from sadness. Bogg came in front of him and went on his knees to look him in the eyes. He rubbed his shoulders.

"Tell me what it is so I can help you. You're starting to worry me."

"Bogg, it's gonna sound stupid!" He stomped his foot aggravated. "I'm always a big baby!"

Bogg kept him still. "Hey, you are not, you're just…_sensitive_. But a lot of kids are. And no kid in the world is doing the stuff that you are now. You're one of a kind and being a Voyager is really demanding. Sometimes I forget that. Let it out. You'll feel a lot better."

Jeffrey shrugged miserably. "I was scared. When the Russians knocked you out in Annie's tent I almost lost you! They caught me, Bogg. If I didn't get away, you would have blown up! It was hard for me to get the omni off your belt and what if it would have stuck in automatic mode or conked out like it always does? I don't want you to die, Bogg! _I need you_."

Bogg's heart went out to him. Jeffrey didn't even consider that he also could have died in the explosion. The kid truly cared about him. He gulped and nodded.

"Jeff, I explained to you the sacrifices that a Voyager makes on his missions. We're only human, tragedies happen. I'm not telling you this to scare you, but to make you see the reality of our work. I can't promise you that I'll live forever, or that something won't occur out in the field, but I sure as heck will fight to stay alive. Not necessarily for myself, but for you."

"For me?" Jeffrey stared at him awed. "Why?"

Bogg hugged him. "When I kept you on as my partner I knew that you were all alone in the world and you needed a friend… a family. I wanted to fill those roles because…because I felt the same way. Jeffrey, I need you too. Always remember that, kid."

**~Oo~**

"I'm sorry for what I said. No one could have talked you out of keeping me, Bogg." Jeffrey murmured and then chuckled. "They probably would have been struck by those licensed weapons from five continents."

He brushed his cheek against Jaiden's hair and peeked at him. Jaiden cried himself to sleep. He needed more rest since the previous night and the heavy breakfast sedated him. Jeffrey lay Jaiden down on the blanket. He pulled out his flask and downed the last of his alcohol then sat back against the log and ran his finger over the 'V' on his omni.

"We'll stick around a little while longer, Jaiden. Everything will be just fine."


	6. Jeffrey's kid

**Voyager Shadows: Jaiden's Tale**

**Chapter 6: Jeffrey's kid**

**Brooklyn, NY **

**November 13th, 2011**

Pamela Williams lowered her glasses and closed her checkbook satisfied that her bills went through on time. Her sons tried to convince her to pay online but she wouldn't hear of it. She knew the convenience, but didn't trust it. She glanced at the grandfather clock in her dining room. It was near 5:00pm and Jaiden hadn't returned home from school at his usual time of 4:00. He considerately called her when he expected to run late.

"_I'll give that boy 'till 5:30 before I start fretting. He told me there were after school programs." _She thought.

She looked around the old house and frowned at the faded wallpaper and scuffed floors. She raised her family for thirty-odd years, but it was high time to leave. The neighborhood turned rotten but she managed to keep a clean home and pretty yard. Her late husband Rodney bent over backwards to keep their boys out of trouble. They always talked of moving, but Rodney preferred to save. He always said, _"You never know what could happen. Our boys need the money, you need it, Pammy. We're fine where we are."_

Pamela made definite plans to move into her brownstone in downtown Williamsburg by the end of the month. She wanted to for Jaiden. She refused to suffer another tragedy like Kevin. Jaiden demonstrated promise for a successful future and she intended to make that happen.

Pamela glanced at the mantle where she kept current family photos. Jaiden's picture stood out stark against the others. She and her family and the last three foster children all had dark complexions. Her sons liked to tease Jaiden and call him _little_ _blondie_, but they were very fond of him. Pamela was glad. She prepared to officially adopt Jaiden once they moved.

She leaned down to pick up her gray and white terrier, Bruno, when he rubbed against her leg.

"Who's a good boy? Are you good? I know you are! Jaiden wasn't home to feed you and Kiki today. You're still hungry after those treats I gave you? Come on, I'll get you some real food."

Pamela appeased Bruno with a dog biscuit while she opened up a can of meaty dog food and poured it in his red dish. She rummaged through her cabinets for parrot food. She approached the cage the parrot squawked and shook her tail feathers.

"Pam. Pam. Hello. Pam."

"Hello, dear Kiki, how are you this afternoon?" She stuck her hand in to pet her feathers and change the dishes.

_"Sqwakk! Kikikikiki. _Pam. Hello. Hello. _Jai. Jai._"

"I know, Kiki, I'm worried about him too. He has some explaining to do when…"

Pamela heard a low rustling near the back door to the house. Home invasions plagued the neighborhood as the holidays drew closer. Pamela picked up the closest thing next to her – a frying pan, and held it tight to her chest.

"Who's there? You want to come in you ring my front bell!" She said sharply.

The rustling stopped and she edged closer. She heard a smattering of young, male voices right at the doorstep and saw their shadows hover behind the curtains. Pamela ran for the phone.

"Y'all don't get away from my door, I'm calling the police! I'm dialing right now!"

Two of the shadows fled and glass shattered from her bedroom. Bruno barked furiously and ran around. Kiki flapped and cawed. Pamela ran to the commotion, someone threw a large rock and it smashed her grandmother's vanity mirror. A wave of fear washed over her and she ran out of the bedroom and smack into three teenage boys standing in her dining room. The oldest held a gun out. Pamela froze and couldn't make a sound.

"Yo, where's the safe?" He asked coldly, then repeated his demands with profanities toward her when she couldn't answer him.

"Are you deaf? Where is it!" He motioned for his cronies to grab her.

Pamela found her voice. "Who do you think you are coming in my house and demanding my property? _You punk!_ I remember you, Antoine, I know you're the one who shot my Kevin!"

A flicker of fear passed his black eyes. "You can't prove that! But I'm gonna shoot you down and that little brat Jaiden if you don't tell me where it is! Yo, Quami, check behind the painting!"

Pamela pointed sharply at the short kid."Don't you touch nothing in this house! You're in Jaiden's class! Where is Jaiden? What have you done with my boy?" She demanded.

The gang looked at each other uneasily. All day they couldn't get over how Jaiden and the man vanished into thin air. One of them ran away from the scene that morning and never came back.

"Who the hell knows where that kid is at…maybe his guardian angel took him." Antoine grinned maliciously, implying the worst.

Tears streamed out of Pamela's eyes and she weakly fell to her knees. "No! No, you didn't!"

"Yeah, I did!" He snickered. "Now you gonna open that safe, or do I have to tear this place up and blow you up?" He clicked the gun near her head.

A low whistle broke through the sound barrier and everyone looked up confused. Pamela crawled away from the gun muzzle and toward the kitchen. Antoine couldn't duck fast enough before Jeffrey landed on top of him and forced him to the floor. He dropped the gun. Jaiden fell between the other two boys. Quami yelped and wet his pants. He grabbed his crotch embarrassed and ran out of the house as if on wings. Pamela backed against the wall and covered her heart in shock. Jeffrey pulled Antoine up by the collar and shoved him into the table.

"You're not shooting anybody! Mrs. Williams, hurry and call the police!"

Pamela quickly obeyed. Jaiden blocked the other kid from leaving and called for Bruno. Though small, the dog leaped and attacked the boy's leg. He thrashed around and begged for Jaiden to call him off then slid into a corner and stayed motionless. Jeffrey shoved Antoine in the chair.

"You're not going anywhere, Antoine." He threatened as the kid cursed and struggled. Jeffrey's rock-like hold tightened on his collar bone and pained him. "Move or speak again and I'll send you out of time so far you'll be dodging a T-Rex instead of bullets."

Jeffrey spoke the truth. He installed open-time calibration on the omni. Antoine looked at him like he was insane but obeyed him and sulked.

Pamela finished up the call and stared at Jeffrey. "Thank…_Thank you! _Thank you!" She cried.

"Pamela! We made it just in time! You're right Jeffrey, the omni takes you exactly where you need to be!" Jaiden ran to her arms.

Pamela shouted happily as they embraced. "Boy, I don't know what mess of trouble you got yourself into, but you better tell me all about it!"

Jeffrey smiled at her. "Once we get the trash out of here, we'll talk, _uhh, _Mrs. Williams, please don't tell the cops exactly how we came in."

Pamela grinned. "Absolutely not…but maybe this little punk was right, maybe you are Jaiden's guardian angel."

Within the next half-hour the police arrived and took statements from everyone. They handcuffed Antoine and his friend out the door and put an APB out on the kid who ran away. They attempted to catch Antoine for a number of offenses over the year. Pamela insisted they re-open Kevin's cold case. After the police cleared out, Pamela bade Jeffrey and Jaiden to sit on the couch and made them a pitcher of lemonade.

"Now, Mr. Jones, you better start from the beginning, because I know you aren't his new Guidance Counselor like you told the cops!" She said.

"No, I'm not. I'm something even better." He smiled.

Jeffrey calmly told them as much as he could about Voyager Headquarters and his mission in Jaiden's life. Pamela had trouble believing it all but she couldn't doubt what she saw with her own eyes when they fell into the room. Jeffrey stayed for dinner and made plans to move Pamela and Jaiden out of the neighborhood as soon as possible. When he disappeared in a flash, Pamela became a true believer.

**~Oo~**

**Two weeks later, Williamsburg, Brooklyn**

Jeffrey came by almost every day and they spent the last two weeks cleaning out Pamela's old house and the Brownstone. They painted, packed, and unpacked. All of Pamela's nicknacks and baubles made Jeffrey's head spin and she had a story for everything. With Pamela's permission, Jeffrey and Jaiden spent time hanging out around the city just having fun.

On Jaiden's moving day, Jeffrey reported to the Omni Control Center at Headquarters to check on his status. His time-line turned green straight through. The Tribunal decided that Jaiden's Academy education would start at twenty-years old, and he could major in Specialized Medicine and emergency care just as he wanted. They always needed good Medical personnel.

Jeffrey agonized the night before his last visit to Jaiden. He allowed himself a long cry and downed a few hard drinks, but he didn't go through with his request to take Jaiden as a partner. Bogg's wisdom triumphed again.

**~Oo~**

They stood proudly on the front stoop of the new Brownstone building.

"So, Jeff, am I gonna see you soon? I know you're busy, and you gotta get a new mission, but you'll visit me, right?" Jaiden asked.

Jeffrey fought back tears, and for the first time he outright lied to the boy. "_Sure! _We'll hang out on a weekend. You know I haven't been to an arcade in fifteen years! And it's winter, we can go to the ice skating rink at Rockefeller center and see all those amazing new movies coming out. It'll be awesome."

Jaiden grinned and clutched the omni. "Maybe we can go back in time and fix history again! Yo, I forgot to tell you! I got a hundred plus on my book report on *Garrett Morgan!"

"That's hot!" Jeffrey beamed. "Did your teacher like how you wrote it as a reporter on the scene when he saved those guys in the tunnels with his new respiratory gas masks?"

"_Yeah!_ She said it sounded like I was actually there!" Jaiden giggled. "I wish I could have tol' her I was. Thanks for taking me, Jeffrey."

"Any time, kiddo." Jeffrey's composure waned and Jaiden noticed. Jeffrey slid down to the first step and put his face in his hands. Jaiden sat next to him.

"What's the matter, J? You sick?"

"No, Jaiden…It's just…just that _I can't…_"

Jaiden forced his gaze and clutched his shoulders. He already knew the truth. There would be no movies or ice skating and arcades in his near future.

"Hey, Jeffrey, promise you won't forget about me? You're my best friend."

Jeffrey couldn't hold back the sob in his throat. He clutched Jaiden for the last time and kissed the top of his head. Jaiden's tears stung his cheek.

"Do you really have to leave me?" Jaiden cried. "Please don't go too long."

"You're very special to me, Jaiden. I love you and I'll never forget that. Be good to Pamela, stay in school and get high grades. I promise we'll see each other again very soon."

Jeffrey couldn't drag out the painful goodbye. He pulled away and stood up. "I have to go back to work now. And you have a parrot to feed." They looked at the window and Kiki called Jeffrey's name and hello. They laughed.

Jeffrey pulled the omni off his belt and Jaiden stepped back sadly. "I love you too, Jeffrey. I'll never forget anything."

Jeffrey recalled telling Bogg the same thing as a child. He mussed his wild curls. "I don't want you to…sometimes, writing events down help us to remember." He hinted.

Jeffrey hit the omni and disappeared. Jaiden cried the entire night and wrote some diary entries about his adventures. But the next morning neither Jaiden nor Pamela remembered Jeffrey or the Voyagers. Through the years Jaiden looked at his diary and wondered when in the world those events happened and what made him conjure up that story.

**~Oo~**

The Voyagers plucked Jaiden out of time one humid summer night in 2019. Now a rookie EMS worker, he and his partner made an emergency call to a shoot-out victim. As they tried to revive him the shooters came back to finish the job. The police pulled in fast, but one shooter had Jaiden in the line of fire. Jeffrey grabbed him in time and the bullets struck air.

**~Oo~**

**Voyager Headquarters**

Once situated, Jaiden's memories of Jeffrey flooded back and he eagerly accepted his new assignment. Jaiden visited Pamela for the last time and the Tribunal granted Jeffrey's request to have her memories restored. As hard as it was to let him go, Pamela proudly accepted that her last son would go on to universal success.

With Bogg on assignment, Jaiden became Jeffrey's roommate and they re-established their friendship. Jeffrey still felt a fatherly bond toward him and Jaiden looked up to him like a big brother.

A week after coming to Headquarters, Jeffrey escorted Jaiden to his first class.

"Jeffrey, I thought nobody was allowed to know that Voyagers existed. How come they let me visit Pamela?"

Jeffrey smiled. "After a lot of open cases and consideration, the Tribunal decided it was cruel to let the families of the ones they plucked suffer so much. It's really a case by case basis. Not everyone is seen fit to know the Voyager secret. We do have contacts in many time zones that help us out when needed. They're called Voyager Aides. You'll learn about them. I assured them Pamela won't betray us."

Jaiden was content with that answer. The first bell rang. "This is it, man. I'm glad you convinced them to lighten my class load, I mean, I went through two years of college already."

"They know that. These classes will be even better than the ones you'd be taking on earth. They're designed to help you with Voyager missions first and foremost, so you'll be prepared for the field work."

Jaiden stared at the enormous school building apprehensively. "I bet there's nothing better than hands on learning like you had with Bogg. I still wish it could have been like that for us, Jeff. I never forgot those voyages. And I can't eat potato chips without laughing."

Jeffrey laughed and patted his back. "Me too. Jaiden, I have to learn to trust the Tribunal. They know exactly when the time is right. Pamela needed you and you needed her, it wouldn't have been fair to take you, no matter how strongly I felt about it."

Jaiden smiled with renewed confidence as he entered the doorway. He felt warm inside knowing that Jeffrey always wanted to be a father-figure.

"Oh, yo, did you ever get in touch with Bogg?"

"I sent him an apology. He said he knows I never mean what I say when I get stubborn like that. I hope he's okay out there."

Jaiden chuckled. "How bad can it be in the sixties Midwest? Homeboy's probably living it up doing the twist and hanging out in malt shops with that girl."

"You're right! Peaches and cream. Don't be late for class, Jay. I'll catch you tonight."

"Yeah, it's Pizza night. See ya!"

Jeffrey strolled down the Academy hall and grinned from ear to ear. Two new case files sat on his desk at the Omni Control Center. But he felt his biggest mission as a Voyager Shadow was accomplished.

Just as he would always be Phineas Bogg's kid, in a different and extraordinary way, Jaiden would always be his.

**The End.**

*Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. (March 4, 1877 – August 27, 1963) was an African American inventor who invented a type of respiratory protective hood (similar to the modern gas masks), credited with having a patent for a type of traffic signal, and invented a hair-straightening preparation. He is renowned for a heroic rescue in which he used his hood to save workers trapped in a tunnel system filled with fumes. He is credited as the first African-American in Cleveland to own an automobile.

**Up next:** **Bogg's Shadow adventures in **_**Poor little rich girl** _


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